Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a man who has put God and others above himself. The Reverend Randall Trego has been a blessing to The Woodlands through his ministry. As chaplain at St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital for the past 11 years, Rev. Trego has helped families heal. Since

the hospital's opening in 2003, patients, staff, and families have all relied on Rev. Trego for loving, spiritual guidance.

Rev. Trego began his service at St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital with four volunteers as part of his pastoral care team. Today those same individuals have been joined by 19 other spiritual caregivers. St. Luke's volunteer chaplains come from all faiths and are available to all patients, employees, doctors, nurses, and visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2004, Rev. Trego, began what has become known as the ``feelie heart'' ministry. Inspired by another's story, the Reverend encouraged his team to make small fabric hearts to give to those who needed encouragement. With love, the team initially made 50 hearts to give away. To date, nearly 30,000 hearts have been hand made by volunteers, organizations and even the families of prior patients. The hearts have become so important to patients that those having surgery have their feelie heart pinned to the underside of their gurney for reassurance.

This week Rev. Trego is retiring, but not before performing his last Blessing of the Hands ceremony on Tuesday, March 25. Annually, the Reverend has offered this ceremonial washing, drying, and anointing of hands in service to others. Over 2,000 individuals have participated in these ceremonies that serve as a reminder of God's healing power and compassion. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating this special day.

It can't be overstated what a tremendously important part of the fabric of St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital that Rev. Trego has become. He truly embodies St. Luke's motto of ``Faithful, Loving Care.'' As the St. Luke's family honors him this week and receive their Blessings from him, they reflect on how they have been blessed by this man's faith, compassion, and dedication. Bless you, Rev. Trego. Your retirement is well earned.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Enough really is enough. The unfair way Medicare pays our local doctors to treat our seniors has gone on for far too long.

It is making it harder for seniors to see a doctor they know and who knows them. It is chasing local doctors out of Medicare and out of private practice, and it is encouraging too much waste and too many unnecessary procedures within Medicare.

As chairman of the Health Subcommittee of Ways and Means, my top priority has been to find a permanent, reliable 21st century solution that both political parties and physicians can embrace.

H.R. 4015 repeals the current flawed formula for reimbursing our doctors, and it ends the yearly threat of massive cuts.

In working with America's physicians, it establishes a more patient- centered approach that provides stability to our doctors, rewards them for high-quality care, begins to streamline the red tape our physicians face, and encourages better coordination and prevention. Over time, it transitions to a model that rewards value over volume by using the real-life approaches that doctors use, not what Washington wants.

H.R. 4015 is a solid foundation from which to build an even better Medicare system, and it has overwhelming support from physicians. This is a major step forward, but we need to finish the job. We need to work together--Republicans and Democrats, the House and the Senate--to figure out how to make this policy a reality in a way that doesn't increase the deficit.

There may be disagreements over how to pay for this reform. That is understandable as it is difficult, and today's bill is not the last word. Let's continue to advance this long overdue solution and commit to finding a bipartisan solution between the House and the Senate. The clock is ticking, so let's act together today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), a physician and a key member of the Ways and Means Committee. I cannot describe how much of an important role he has played in finding this new solution to how we reimburse doctors under Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a gentleman who is one of the newest members of the Ways and Means Committee. He is a businessman, but he is a real fighter for Pennsylvania's seniors and doctors.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed), one of our key members of the Ways and Means Committee, who has brought the concerns of New York doctors to our attention.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

First, I want to commend and thank our Democrat colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee and the staff for working so hard, along with Energy and Commerce and the Finance Committee in the Senate, to find a good, solid solution. I think we have made a big step forward. We have got some work to do. I know we can do it.

I went to see my doctor the other week. He is 66 years old, looks like he is 46; kind of makes me mad. But he has got a successful practice, a very good doctor.

He told me he would like to keep practicing for another 5 or 6 years, and he said: But Kevin, I am not going to. This will probably be my last year. Medicare has just made it too hard for him to stay this practice.

As I left the examining room, I looked at his assistant who has been with him 30-some years, all his professional staff, a full waiting room, and I thought, what are we doing chasing a doctor like this out of practice early? Who is going to replace him? Who is going to take care of these people?

He is not alone. In Texas, less than half of Texas family physicians take new Medicare patients. Many of them are rethinking their relationship with Medicare. Others are closing their private practices. So more and more seniors are chasing fewer and fewer doctors, and that is the dilemma we face today.

Maybe I am an optimist, but I think we are 90 percent of the way toward solving this solution. We have broad support for this policy and this bill.

We have a duty to make sure our seniors have access to their doctors, and Democrats and Republicans have been putting in a lot of work to solve this problem. Yeah, we have some work to do.

Now is the time to permanently fix the way we reimburse our doctors. As we move forward, let's work in a bipartisan way, across the Chambers, across the parties to get it done. I am absolutely confident we can do that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1814, the Equitable Access to Care and Health Act.

One of our inalienable rights as American citizens is that we have the right to proscribe in whatever faith we so choose. With this right comes also the freedom from persecution and different treatment under the law. This body has long recognized the freedom of religion and has worked to ensure individuals of all faiths are treated fairly under the law. Even the Affordable Care Act, which imposes the burden of mandating the purchase of insurance, includes a religious conscience exemption from that individual mandate. However, this exemption is not fairly distributed to all Americans.

While covering many faiths, it doesn't cover all who seek protection. What the EACH Act does is to ensure that this exemption equally applies to

every American who wants it. It also protects individuals' First Amendment rights from being placed in jeopardy because of a requirement to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty.

This is commonsense fairness legislation that extends a fundamental right to all Americans that have religious objections to standard medical care. This is a chance for us to right a wrong that I believe was just a drafting oversight.

Of course, we ensure that the government doesn't impose a $1.5 billion tax on Americans simply because of their religious beliefs.

I thank my good friend and colleague from Illinois on the Committee on Ways and Means (Mr. Schock) for his leadership, as well as the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) for introducing this bipartisan legislation.

I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and vote ``yes'' for religious freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3474) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers to exempt employees with health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans Administration from being taken into account for purposes of the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3474, the Hire More Heroes Act, introduced by Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois.

The Hire More Heroes Act will help ease the burden on small businesses while incentivizing them to hire veterans who have found themselves out of work as they return home from overseas.

President Obama has repeatedly said:

If you've got good ideas, bring them to me--let's go.

Well, Mr. President, here is a really good idea. So let's go.

Our veterans have sacrificed for our country, and as they return home they deserve opportunities and they deserve a job.

One thing I routinely hear from my communities back home is that entrepreneurs want to invest in America and they want to grow their businesses. Well, here is an opportunity to do both.

Too often, we use the term that something is a win-win. Well, I can think of no better term. This is a win for businesses who need workers with outstanding skills and ethics, and a win for veterans who just want a job.

The Hire More Heroes Act allows businesses that hire a veteran enrolled in TRICARE or through the VA to not count that veteran towards the 50-employee threshold for triggering the ACA employee mandate. The 50-employee threshold has been a big disincentive for small businesses to grow. If they have more than 50 workers, they fall under that mandate, and their costs go up.

So firms with 45, 46, 47 workers are very reluctant to grow any bigger, but if they hire a veteran, under this legislation, that won't count for purposes of determining if they have enough workers to trigger the mandate. If that isn't an incentive to hire more veterans, I don't know what it is.

These are veterans who already have health care. They just want and deserve a job. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), the author of this bill, whose family is a small business-owning family, whose bill came from his own Veterans' Advisory Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), another champion for veterans.

Mr. Speaker, as we close, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), the author of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3979) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that emergency services volunteers are not taken into account as employees under the shared responsibility requirements contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to begin by first rising in support of this bill, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act.

I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), the author of this very important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

This is such a commonsense and important bill, and this challenge was brought to me as well by one of my local firefighters, the fire chief of Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department, Gary Vincent.

The bill introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) ensures the work our Nation's volunteers, including volunteer firefighters and emergency responders, are honored, protected, and recognized.

The tradition of volunteer firefighting dates back to colonial times, yet remains vital to thousands of communities throughout the country who rely exclusively upon volunteer fire departments for fire protection and emergency medical services.

The problem is the Affordable Care Act is a complicated law, and sometimes, the IRS has treated volunteers as full-time workers for other purposes. This confusion in the law has created uncertainty for local communities and their firefighters and could jeopardize their ability to respond to emergencies.

No one wants to put local governments and nonprofits at a risk of huge cost increases that could result if volunteers were considered employees under the Affordable Care Act.

The White House does not want that, and neither does Congress. This bill is critical to permanently protecting the 780,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency responders and all other volunteers at our Nation's nonprofits and tribal governments.

The bill provides the certainty of congressional action, rather than relying on regulations that could be repealed, changed, or amended.

I call on my colleagues to put a bipartisan stamp on this bill to honor a value we all agree on, volunteerism. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3979, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, yielding myself such time as I may consume, I have about 4 or 5 additional speakers to move through on this important bill.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a fellow member of the Ways and Means Committee, who has been a champion on this issue as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Renacci), another one of the new, young leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), another champion of firefighters and emergency responders.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

In closing, I would like to reference the title of this bill, Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders. Democrats and Republicans coming together today are here to make sure that is the law of the land. We are protecting our volunteer firefighters and emergency responders. This bill deserves our support, and I urge its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the SIMPLE Fairness Act and thank the leadership of the gentlelady from Kansas in this area.

Back home, my people are frightened about the Affordable Care Act. They don't think it is a waste of time to be trying to fix and repeal and stop this. They are paying a very steep price for it.

President Obama made them some big promises when he sold them this health care plan. He promised Americans could keep the plan they like. He promised lower health care costs. He promised a functioning Web site that he said would work as well as Amazon. The White House hasn't delivered on any of these promises.

Where I am from, if you make a mistake, if you don't keep your promise, you step up and fix it. You don't blame those you have hurt. No American should have to pay a penalty because ObamaCare fell short of its promises. No American should have to pay a penalty because the Web site couldn't even accept their application or deliver the correct information. No American should be penalized for trying days on end to purchase a plan only to decide it wasn't worth the effort because it was

too expensive. No American should be penalized because they are concerned about the security of their private information on this government Web site, and no American should be penalized by the IRS because of sticker shock or deciding not to purchase a plan that is so much more expensive than what was promised.

President Obama gave Big Business a break; he deserves to give average Americans the same type of break, as well. SIMPLE Fairness requires that we do the same for the American people. That is all this is about. It is all we are doing today, treating average Americans who are hurt by the Affordable Care Act the way the White House helped Big Business with the same exact problems. The American people deserve the same relief. We ought to give it to them. That is why this bill is called the SIMPLE Fairness Act, and it deserves our support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a great corporate citizen as they celebrate 125 years in business.

At its founding in 1889, Benjamin Harrison was President and the Dakotas, Montana and Washington were becoming states, CB&I was establishing itself.

Since its creation CB&I has evolved from a bridge design and iron company into an energy industry problem solver that employs 50,000 people around the world, including many Americans. CB&I is known for innovation in bulk liquid storage and its unwavering support of oil exploration around the world.

This company has come a long way from the merger agreement between bridge designer Horace Horton and the Kansas City Wheelocks, George and William. During challenging international times, including World War I and World War II, CB&I helped keep our military strong and mobile. CB&I was essential in production of smaller, more maneuverable ships.

CB&I's industry milestones are many over the last century--from floating roof tanks to the double-wall liquid natural gas storage tanks to the first site-assembled thick wall steel nuclear reactor vessel-- the innovations just keep coming. This success all started with a record number of bridges and structures now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Over 125 years and with workplaces in 130 countries, CB&I has evolved into one of the most energy infrastructure focused companies in the world, and it is a name The Woodlands, Texas knows well. The CB&I Tri, our local triathlon, is but one example of the worldwide support CB&I provides to the communities their employees call home. We also appreciate their efforts to use local suppliers to the fullest extent practicable.

Congratulate Philip Asherman, the President and CEO of CB&I and all those who have helped make CB&I the innovator it is today.

Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in congratulating CB&I on their 125th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and Dave Camp for leading this effort to protect our free speech.

Whenever someone in Washington tells you don't worry, it is not really about free speech, trust me, it is.

A lot of Americans are frightened by the thought that their government would target them based on their political beliefs, and I am convinced the darkest days in America's history have been when the government has tried to silence the voices of those who disagree with it.

We suffered under this intimidation during the civil rights era, under the antiwar era, and now today, because conservative organizations, constitutional organizations, some who simply want to make the country better and have that voice, are now being targeted.

Make no mistake. This is not about clearing up confusion. This is about intimidation. This is about the government using one of the most powerful agencies it has, the IRS, the only agency that can destroy your life, your family, your business' life with their immense power, targeting people because of their political beliefs.

If you talk about what is free speech, I would point to this: look at organizations back home in your community. Those who want to do get out to vote, so go vote and have your voices heard. Voter registration, candidate forms, let's find out what elected officials and candidates feel about the issues.

Then just grassroots lobbying, letting their neighbors, their communities, their members understand the issues and weigh in. That is free speech. That is the First Amendment, and when this government targets Americans based on it, we have got to stop it.

Make no mistake, Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Progressive, I don't care where you are at on there, we cannot let the government have this power. It must be stopped now.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, we are going through a very disappointing economic recovery. Millions of people can't find full- time work; millions more have given up looking for work; and our local businesses are just drowning in red tape.

They often ask: Doesn't anyone in Washington consider the impact on our local businesses and the economy from all this new red tape before they put it in place? Well, sadly not often enough.

In 2012, the Federal Government imposed 3,708 new Federal rules. Guess how many of them had a cost benefit analysis? Simply ask the question: How does this affect the economy? The answer is 14--14 out of more than 3,000.

I applaud Chairman Goodlatte's commitment to reforming the way this government conducts red tape. I have an amendment that complements his efforts, one drawn from my own Sound Regulation Act, which I think is helpful as we move this reform through.

The point here is this: When a Federal agency sets out to adopt new rules and red tape, the agency has a responsibility to state clearly the achievable objective of those rules or regulations. After all, our citizens have the right to know what their Federal Government intends to accomplish with this red tape.

The agency also has the responsibility to tell the American people up front what metrics it is going to use to measure the progress toward that objective. No more manipulative statistics. No more fuzzy math. When the agency publishes the final rule, it has the responsibility to certify to the American people that the rule actually meets the objective the agency originally identified. It is just common sense.

My amendment says to regulators: Tell us your objective. Tell us how you are going to meet it and measure it. Then tell us you actually did what you promised.

It is common sense, and it may just help put this painful recovery behind us.

Madam Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the committee.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, very briefly, my friend from Georgia is a good man. I am surprised there aren't regulations about when you can send your kids up to clean their rooms again.

Look, this is just saying to Washington: tell us what your goal is-- how you are going to measure it and if you achieve it--before you put this red tape on our local businesses. It is common sense and, frankly, long overdue. I urge strong support for this amendment.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a reporter who has dedicated her career to our health.

As Chairman of the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, I pay special attention when Christi Myers comes on my screen, because if there is something new to know in medicine, we all learn it from Christi. Today we are all wondering what we will do when she retires from Houston's ABC 13 at the end of this month. We may all need a ``health check'' to cope with the shock.

Christi Myers' work in the medical community has set the gold standard. Recognized with a regional Emmy for the story of an infant who now has a piece of his young father's liver, Christi's work has earned more than a 100 awards, including a National Award for Excellence from the Epilepsy Foundation of America, honors from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the Harris County Medical Society, the Harris County Pharmacy Association, Houston Press Club, Texas Public Health Association, Texas Medical Association, the Texas AP Broadcasters, and so many more.

Christi Myers can also just as easily cover a story on toxic waste or nomadic herders in the Russian Arctic. In 1989, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston honored her for reports that helped secure the freedom of a Soviet Jewish family. That's making a real difference. Something Christi is famous for

Christi's inside look at military medicine during the first days of the Iraq war took us inside operating rooms where American casualties received life saving treatment.

Some of her colleagues call her Dr. Myers because she simply is that good. We can't begin to tally the lives she may have helped save by informing us of new health treatments and cures. If we live to be 100, it's a good bet it's thanks to tips she has provided.

Christi Myers is a rare reporter, having reported at KHOU, KPRC and KTRK, for over three decades. February 28th is our last opportunity to catch her reports before she devotes herself fulltime to her family. I'd just like to close with a simple ``Thank you, Christi.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Western Music Icon Guy Porter Gillette who is being honored this weekend in Houston County.

Guy left us on September 2nd, but his memory is alive and well. Guy was the son of famed photographer Guy and his wife Doris Gillette. He and his brother, Pipp, co-owned the Camp St. Cafe & Store where they enjoyed entertaining southeast Texas.

The brothers were raised in Yonkers, New York, but spent their summers at their grandparents' Lovelady ranch. Back in their teens, the brothers had a band called the Roadrunners. Their lead singer was a young woman named Diane Keaton, who later became a movie star. Guy met Diane while studying at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in Manhattan, NY and the brothers were known for playing coffee houses in many states, but Texas kept a piece of their hearts.

They inherited their grandparents' Lovelady ranch and shortly after Guy's return to Texas he met Cathi Stas from Wheeler. They married and welcomed daughter, Dorcie in 1995. After fixing up their family homestead, Camp Street in Crockett was their next project. They turned a pool hall and barbershop their grandfather built into a new music venue where they could entertain us with a unique mix of blues, cowboy ballads and Celtic folk songs. One never knew what was on the bill at Camp Street. It could be comedy one minute and vaudeville the next--and audiences loved it.

The awards stacked up for the Gillette Brothers: the Western Heritage Award for Best Traditional Western CD of 2010; two Cowboy Culture Awards; the Wrangler Award for Best Original Composition of 2012 for the song ``Tradeoff''; as well as awards for their chuck wagon sourdough biscuits.

While cancer may have silenced Guy's tenor voice just two weeks after his father's passing, Cathi, Dorcie and Pipp have wonderful memories of music, laughter, and love to cherish.

Guy was a bright star that gave so much to Houston County, Texas. He will be missed. God bless Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor Rod Rice as he prepares to hang up his microphone after a 40 year career in radio.

Rod Rice has more than three decades on the air in Houston--providing us news and information. Much of that time, he's spent at Houston's Public Radio station, 88.7 KUHF.

He joined KUHF from KTRH as a reporter and leaves this Friday morning as the anchor of KUHF Morning Edition. As Rod told a media reporter, ``It's been a pleasure playing a small role in the daily life of this wonderful city.'' Well, Rod, it's been our pleasure as listeners.

During Rod Rice's tenure at KUHF, the station has grown their news operation from a 5 person newsroom to a full service news and information station that Houston relies on each and every day.

Rod Rice may sound like he was born behind a news microphone, but he served in the US Army and as a disc jockey in many formats over several years before coming to Houston in 1991 to anchor the news on NewsRadio 740 KTRH. That's because Rice's fascination with radio began with his grandfather and listening to radio programs. That fascination never left him and those he mentored say he is always eager to pass it on to a new generation.

Rod quickly developed a reputation for working with new reporters and helping them to make their news coverage better. One of those reporters mentored by Rod Rice now serves as my Communications Director.

Rice has been honored more times that we can address here for excellence in broadcast journalism, including a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

What's next for Rod Rice is turning off his early morning alarm and enjoying life, but his roots in radio will always be a part of him. And, those who know him are convinced he will continue to mentor and share his love of radio for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to honor the ``The Lone Star Flag'' of Texas. 175 years ago, Texas' Red, White and Blue banner was adopted as the flag of the Republic of Texas. The blue stands for loyalty. The white stands for purity. The red stands for the courage with which Texans have been blessed.

One-third of our flag is blue with a single centered white, five- pointed star. The remaining two-thirds of the flag are horizontal white and red bars. It's an image known the world over.

When Texas became our nation's 28th state, Texas' national flag became our state flag. Our state pledge starts with ``Honor the Texas flag.''

Dr. Charles Stewart lived in Montgomery, Texas when he led a committee appointed by Mirabeau Lamar tasked with designing our flag. You can see how he envisioned Texas' flag at the Nat Hart Davis Museum on Liberty Street in Montgomery. Our county, and this community's Lone Star Flag ties, are second to none.

In 1997, the Texas Legislature honored Montgomery County, Texas as the birthplace of the Texas Lone Star Flag. Our community is so proud of this honor.

The Patrons of Cedar Brake Park in Montgomery have partnered with the Montgomery Economic Development Corporation and the Historic Montgomery Business Association to hold a 175th Anniversary Celebration for our great flag on Saturday, January 25, 2014.

Special thanks to Bill Koltlan, Shannan Reid, Sonya Clover, Julia Wall and Patti Stafford and other volunteers for coordinating this event to celebrate the birth of this iconic symbol of our state.

May our Lone Star Flag always wave proudly over the great state of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Exchange Information Disclosure Act. This legislation is needed because of what we know and what we do not know.

Congress has repeatedly asked this administration for information about the rollout of Obamacare. We know this administration is not transparent. We know this administration has not been forthcoming or willing to acknowledge problems. The administration repeatedly came before Congress and testified the exchange was ready. Now know the federal exchange was not ready and there is mounting evidence just how early the administration knew.

We know enrollment is in serious trouble. Based on the Administration's projections, December enrollment was over 1 million people below their own goal. At the current pace, enrollment for 2014 will fall over 2.4 million people short of the Administration's own projections. They project they need 38 percent of enrollees to be young and healthy, so far only 24 percent are. We know, without the right demographic mix premiums will continue to go up.

This is what we know. But there is a lot we do not know.

We do not know how many people have completed enrollment by actually paying premiums. We need this information to understand just how bad the problem really is. The administration has been unwilling to regularly release data about enrollments; instead we get limited, sterilized data of the administration's choosing provided on seemingly random dates.

Our health care system is facing a crisis, and Congress needs to be a full partner with the Administration in fixing this disaster. For that, we need the raw data, we need the hard truths and we need to know what the administration knows, when they know it. This bill requires weekly reports of all of the important data. This bill is needed if Congress is going to be able to do its job for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank Chairman Pitts for his leadership of the Health Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce and toward a solution for our local physicians.

I rise today in support of the Pathway for SGR Reform. This is an important bill because it makes sure that our local physicians who treat our seniors don't face a drastic cut in their reimbursements on New Year's Day.

We need a permanent solution. Just this morning the Ways and Means Committee unanimously voted to advance a bill that begins the process of

a permanent, reliable solution so our seniors can continue to see a local doctor when they need them.

It is not easy to bridge the gap and pay for this legislation, but until we can complete the process of a permanent solution, we had to make some difficult choices. In particular, I want to thank the long- term care hospitals for their strong leadership. We were able to work with this industry to design new criteria that created efficiencies to generate savings in the important Medicare program.

Without the strong support of leaders in the LTCH industry, this would not have been possible. This has helped make a good bill even better.